THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



293 



We did not make our wants quite 

 clear to our printers in the July 

 number of the REVIEW, for two 

 articles appeared among the 

 Editorials. As they are two very 

 good articles, We did not feel 

 ashamed at all for their presence, 

 but mention it here as a mistake 

 that we will try and rectify in 

 the future. This is one of the dis- 

 advantages of printing the REVIEW 

 at "arms length" for we do not see 

 the Review after it is set up 

 ready to print. 



The Cabbage Palmetto is a tall 

 and stately tree and blossoms about 

 the middle of July (varying with 

 the locality and latitude) in huge 

 racemes that resemble ostrich 

 plumes, 5 feet in length, at their 



best. There is no prettier sight 

 than one of these huge bouquets of 

 creamy white petals so fragrant 

 that one seems dropped down in a 

 bed of spicy perfumes! The honey 

 of the cabbage palmetto is al- 

 most wafer white if secured in its 

 purity, unmixed with other blossoms. 

 In but few localities, however, is 

 it possible to secure it unmixed. 



On the east coast it mingles with 

 the mangrove and the blend is a 

 very choice one. There is but one 

 section of Florida, however, where 

 in some years it is possible to get 

 the honey from the cabbage pal- 

 metto in a pristine pure condition. 

 I refer to the strip of land on the 

 west coast between the ocean on 

 west and the Miakka river on east, 

 south of Sarasota, Fla. — E. G. B. 



Field Notes From Michigan 



By FRANK ERIC MILLEN B. Sc. A. East Lansing, IMichigan 



A New Bee Escape or Super Clearer 



A new Bee escape has been plac- 

 ed on the English market. From the 

 appear ance of the cut, shown with 

 these notes, bee-keepers can see 

 the principle on which it works. It 

 is the invention of Mr. F. W. Watts, 

 136 Goodrich Road, East Dulwich, 

 England. The trap doors or flanges 

 are made of aluminum, and very 

 light and finely adjusted. They work 

 automatically and close directly the 

 bees have passed through. With this 

 principle and the large number of 

 exits many bees can pass through 

 in a very short time, and once start- 

 ed they can pass out in one continu- 

 ous stream. The escapes are all me- 

 tal and so can be easily cleaned, by 

 dropping in boiling water, in case 

 they become propolised. In this 

 country and Canada where a large 

 number of escapes are in use they 

 should find a ready sale and doubt- 

 less will be much appreciated by 

 bee-keepers on this side of the pond. 

 In England they sell for twelve 

 cents each and so are very reason- 

 able, with the added cost of trans- 

 portation they should still be with- 

 in the reach of every bee-man 

 wanting a good super clearer. If 

 put on accidently upside down, they 

 cannot trap bees in supers as the 



flanges remain open thus allowing 

 the bees ingress and egress. 

 Bee Veils 



The subject of bee veils is one 

 that opens quite a field for dis- 

 cussion. I suppose there are as 

 large a variety of veils in use to- 

 day, as there are makes of hives, 

 and inspectors know these latter 

 are legion. Veils are made of many 

 materials, from sheeting to wire 

 screening and range in color from 

 black to white, with all other 

 shades intervening. The shapes are 

 as numerous as the colors, and 

 kinds of material. Undoubtedly 

 some of these veils! are worthy the 

 name and answer their purpose, 

 but many do more harm than good. 

 The following points should be 

 taken into consideration when get- 

 ting a veil: — ease of vision, safety, 

 coolness and strength. The face 

 of the veil should be black, silk 

 preferred, because black is the best 

 color to see through, and seems to 

 offer the least resistance to the 

 sight. The body of the veil should 

 be white, because it is cooler and 

 less objectionable to the bees. For 

 the body of the veil, white bobbi- 

 nette 30" wide, double width, is 

 as strong and serviceable as any 

 material I know, this with the 



